Missing Persons

All faculty, staff, and students ("University community members") share the responsibility of immediately reporting to the Department of Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness, when they believe that a student is missing. If a member of the University community has reason to believe that a student who resides in on-campus residential housing is missing, he or she should immediately notify the Department of Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness (DPSEP) at 314-977-3000. DPSEP will investigate. DPSEP will notify the St. Louis Metropolitan Police within 24 hours of the determination that a student is missing.

In addition to registering a general emergency contact, students are expected to identify a Confidential Emergency Contact for purposes of notification in the event the student is determined to be missing. Students residing in on-campus housing may register a Confidential Emergency Contact by entering a person's name and contact information into the University Banner Information System. Residential students must also register their Confidential Emergency Contact Information on their emergency data card as part of the residence hall check-in process. A student's confidential contact information will be accessible only by authorized University personnel and law enforcement officials in the course of a missing persons investigation.

If the missing student is a residential student, the University Department of Housing and Residence Life will assist DPSEP in a preliminary investigation of the student's whereabouts. If a student designated a Confidential Emergency Contact person, the Office of the Dean of Students will notify him or her no later than 24 hours after it's been officially determined that the student is missing. If the residential student is determined to be under the age of eighteen, and not an emancipated individual, the Office of the Dean of Students will then contact the residential student's parents or guardian and any other designated contact person within 24 hours of the residential student being determined missing.